Overview

• Viral clips from the Fantastic Four: First Steps European press tour led netizens to allege Pascal uses his anxiety disclosure to justify physical closeness with female co-stars
• Vanessa Kirby publicly defended their hand-holding at San Diego Comic-Con as a mutual, comforting gesture when both were nervous about a live audience
• In a Men’s Health interview, Pascal confirmed that physical touch is his primary coping mechanism for managing anxiety during public events
• Observers on social media and in celebrity circles have raised concerns that the backlash may be driven by bots or organized efforts targeting his outspoken support for transgender rights
• PR experts and mental health professionals remain split on whether the PDA was a calculated buzz-building tactic or a legitimate anxiety-management strategy